Afternoon Tea in Hayes Valley

Review of: Modern Tea

By: Janet Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

So you find yourself in Hayes Valley on a Sunday afternoon, and it’s raining (again), and you just want to find a place to sit down and hang out for a while – but not a bar, because you’ve been overindulging a bit too much lately, and not a restaurant, because it’s too early for dinner – and suddenly in a perfect stroke of luck you notice that Modern Tea is finally open, so you run across the street to check it out.

It’s a cute place with kind of a light, airy feel: big windows, lots of blonde wood tables, light green colored walls. Upon sitting down, we were brought a carafe of water, a little plate of 3 petits fours (that tasted like gourmet fig newtons!), and a menu listing 16 different types of hot tea. Oh, and a dessert menu as well. The tea was great, served in tiny teapots that allow you to steep each cup individually. The menu also lists a description of each tea and how much caffeine is in each one.

The atmosphere was relaxing, and the service really friendly: even though they closed at 6 PM, they didn’t rush us at all when 6:00 rolled around, and even welcomed us to stay until we were done. We didn’t get to try any of their food, but I’m betting this would be a great place for brunch. The big windows look like they open up all the way for an open-air feel, which will be nice in warm weather.

Great Hidden Gem

Review of: Zoya

By: Janet Glasser

Rating: 5

Read review on Judy’s Book.

This place is so cute! The space is really cozy, with low lighting, and the service is beyond friendly – you kind of feel like you’re over at someone’s house for dinner. A cheerful husband and wife team run Zoya, and they definitely always make you feel welcome. The menu is chock full of excellent, well-prepared dishes at reasonable prices. I had the butternut squash soup on my first visit – perfect on a rainy evening – and the pork chop, which was just plain yummy. And of course, we had to try the Bananas Foster for dessert (so rich!) Everything was delicious – up to and including the coffee. We had the same great experience on our second visit: perfectly cooked steak, delicious asparagus appetizer, excellent wine.

I love finding these little hidden gems…the only thing that made me sad was the fact that there were only two other couples in the whole restaurant on a Friday night. Don’t be deterred by the fact that it’s connected to a Day’s Inn – this place is definitely worth a try!

(And as an aside, as a stickler for clean bathrooms, I only wish that my bathroom was as clean as theirs!)”

Small Plates…Very Small Plates (But Tasty!)

Review of: Cortez

By: Janet Glasser

Rating: 3

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Cortez is very plush and cozy, like an expensive cashmere sweater. The cream colored/dark wood decor coupled with low lighting gives the whole place an upscale feel.

The cocktails are pretty darned good – the Cucumber Gimlet in particular – and the presentation and quality of the food is excellent, but big eaters be warned – when they say “small plates” they really mean SMALL. Take the duck breast, for example: this small plate contained four so-tiny-you-don’t-even-have-to-slice-them pieces for $15. Since there were four of us, that meant one tiny piece for each person, which we finished in 30 seconds. Next!

All of the dishes tasted great (and the two types of bread were really good, too), but not only were they small, they were expensive, and the high prices were what deterred us from ordering more. The server had suggested 8 to 10 small plates for a party of four, but all of us still felt a little hungry after finishing dinner (thank god for the bread!) – and a lot poorer – 8 or so plates plus 4 desserts and a few cocktails brought the bill to around $250 before tip). It may be a better place to go as a party of two, as there would be a bigger portion for each diner per dish. I’ll definitely keep Cortez in mind as a place to go when someone else is treating!”

Pricy brewpub by the ballpark

Review of: 21st Amendment Brewery Ca

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 3

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Sigh. I really, really want to love 21A. It’s fresh beer, perfectly acceptable food and only a block away… yet, there’s something unsatisfying about it.

It’s not the beer. Overall, the house made beer is better than average… if a little pricy ($4.75 per pint)… and they offer cask ale once a week. It’s not the food either – the asian-style ribs I had as a snack were actually quite good, though I didn’t understand why they served them with field greens. It’s also not the staff- the bartenders there are friendly, efficient and overall pleasant to be around. They also started to serve guest beers from local breweries like Drakes and Speakeasy – a real plus.

I think that the problem is that everything just doesn’t fit together properly. The bar is small, the restaurant space is industrial (but not in a chic sort of way), and you just don’t know if they want to be a restaurant that serves its own beer or a bar that wants to serve food. There’s nothing wrong about it, but there’s something not quite right either.

Don’t get me wrong – I’ve met Nico (one of the owners) and watched this place for years, and I love having this place in the neighborhood. Even if it’s not inviting… and the beer and food is expensive… and it closes earlier than I want on the weekends and…

I just don’t see it

Review of: Taqueria Cancun

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 2

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Yeah, the burritos are massive, and sure, the prices are still pretty affordable, but I just don’t get what the fuss is over Cancun’s burritos.

Earlier this week, I stopped in while walking through the Mission to have a quick burrito. Seeing that the super burritos were under $5, I figured they would be small compared to Pancho Villa, but I wasn’t starved, so that would be fine. Boy, was I wrong. This burrito was the size of a quart of milk. But I digress, before I talk about the size of the food, I should talk about the order.

The first disappointment was that Cancun didn’t offer carnitas or chile verde – my two favorite preparations of pork. Instead, I had to settle for the Al Pastor – a dry rubbed pork that is grilled or roasted before service. The meat had a sort of funky seasoning to it, tasting of cinnamon and allspice. Though it wasn’t an offputting taste at all, it didn’t really go well with the rest of the burrito fillings.

Let’s dissect the burrito further. The tortilla was actually superb, tasting a little wheaty and nicely elastic. The beans, on the other hand, were bland, as was the rice. The ratio of rice to beans to other fillings was way off as well – half the rice would have been fine and the resulting product would have tasted much better. The guacamole, salsa and sour cream were fine – not bad but not outstanding.

Personally, I’d rather pay a little more and get a better if smaller burrito than get this rice filled gut bomb.